STARVING and riddled with scabies, children stand alongside their parents on wasteland wearing nothing but rags, wondering where their next meal will come from.

Their appalling condition has been brought on by drought and made worse by the steep water rates heaped on them by local government.

Villagers are forced to walk for miles before they reach the nearest drop of water - and Mother Nature has planted yet more seeds of destruction.

Now, there isn't a single blade of grass or piece of vegetation surrounding the site. Onlookers describe the scene as looking like an atom bomb has just been dropped since herds of bull elephants stormed through, destroying everything in their path.

In the Kenyan village of Mida, the locals are forced to contend with everyday poverty, with no hope of gaining an education or looking forward to the future.

Flies feast on their feet in the scorching sun and, although there is a women's group to deliver healthcare, it is a far cry from the medical experts of Malindi Hospital.

Astonishingly, the villagers fight for their lives a stone's throw from resorts and an adventure safari company, based at Mida Creek.

It is a place where the worlds of an impoverished people and an affluent tourist industry collide.

The terrible situation was first brought to the attention of Shirley and Eddy Johnson, of Runcorn's Paper Chase Trust, in December - and they are now vowing to pull out all the stops to help the starving, sick villagers.

Speaking after a second three-month trip to Kenya, the Johnsons said the scene was shocking.

'They were literally covered with flies,' said Shirley.

'The shortage of water is so bad the villagers have to walk for many miles before they receive any and the whole village is just devastated.

'There's no grass even for cows to graze in but this is through no fault of their own as, over a number of years, the elephants have been destroying everything they've ever had.

'The rags that the children are wearing are just filthy because of the lack of water and they have no money as there is nothing they can sell.'

The Johnsons' visit led to the calling of an emergency meeting with Dr Anisa from Malindi District Hospital, who decided to take action once she'd witnessed for herself the devastating photo-graphs of the children.

Shirley said: 'They had no idea what's been going on - none of us did - and they couldn't believe it when they came and saw for themselves what had been happening.

'All the villagers kept saying to us: 'When will the rains come?''

Although an electric fence has been erected to prevent any more elephants coming into the village, their central concerns are still food, water and medical aid.

The fence, which encircles the village, near the Arabuko Sokoke forest, doesn't provide enough answers to their hardships.

Following their first visit to Mida, the Johnsons returned on their latest excursion to donate 15 bales of maize flour and 15kg of maize seed, ready for when the rains come.

Among the practical items handed out to families included children's clothes, blankets for the elderly residents and soap.

Shirley added: 'When the rains do come, Eddy and I have decided to buy banana trees, coconut trees and vegetable plants.

'It's terrible though that nothing is guaranteed as, although we have given a lot of maize, which in theory should keep the families fed, if they don't get any rain then it will all be ruined.'

Shirley and Eddy Johnson are planning to take part in Halton's citizen-ship awards, which commemorate the outstanding achievements of schoolchildren across the borough.

Their aim is now to link up more Halton schools with Kenya but, in the meantime, they have created an educational documentary of their experience out on safari, which they are currently showing to pupils.